Welcome to Tijuana international bus station. I say international because there are direct buses to San Diego, Phoenix and other US destinations, and they leave from special gates. Other than that, this bus station is plain old run-down Mexican, and the waiting areas are about as welcoming as a state-run hospital.

I have 15 minutes before I have to get on a bus to Mexicali for a couple of interviews. The journey is two and a half hours long, it’s 2pm and I haven’t eaten anything today. So I grab whatever I can at the cafeteria: chicken breast in a spicy green sauce with vegetables on the side.